The Best and Oops Moments From the 2026 Tony Awards If You Missed Broadway's Biggest Night

Pink started the proceedings with a lot of panache. Her opening number began with her famous aerial stunt. The superstar singer was literally inverted while performing her signature skill. Neil Patrick Harris also gave her a hand and ended up sandwiched between her thighs. After wrapping up the stunt, Pink belted out a melodious take of Leading Lady Marmalade by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Mark Sonnenblick. The altered lyrics introduced this year's nominees, like Lesley Manville and Carrie Coon. Over 170 Broadway performers joined the host for the impressive opening number, which featured multiple dressing changes and resulted in a lot of laughs. Megan Thee Stallion served as the cherry on the cake, as she brought her vocals to the stage along with two shirtless men. “I don’t even know those guys,” she told the crowd. “They were just two strangers carrying some cake.”

Fans were disappointed when Christiana Pitts, the star of Two Strangers, moved on to a Medley after a short performance of New York, the catchiest song from the current Broadway season. It was a bummer to see the song not get the spotlight it deserved on the biggest day of Broadway. Though both Pitts and costar Sam Tutty brought their A-game, the song being cut short did not go well with the fans. Pitts was also nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, which she lost to Caissie Levy. 

Fans of the lovely musical Cats: Jellicle Ball were present all over the Radio City Music Hall studio. They were literally waving yellow-and-black fans every time the musical took home any award. Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, who won in the category of Best Direction of a Musical, followed the theme to the T, with their yellow and black suits. Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons also won the 2026 Tony Award for Best Choreography for their work in the play. The musical's cast also took the stage to perform a rendition. They were joined during the performance by Vogue editor Anna Wintour and '80s composer extraordinaire Andrew Lloyd Webber, who held placards saying 'Meow' and 'Purr.'

Pink's opening segment was a standout, but some of her later appearances were less successful. Her sketch with three-time Tony Awards host Ariana DeBose, which seemed intended as a playful passing of the torch, struggled to find its footing. DeBose's hosting tips, including the line, "Say something undeniably true", got a muted response, and the segment's finale, in which she ripped off Pink's tear-away pants, failed to provide the payoff the setup appeared to promise.

The prestigious 'Best Play' Tony prize went to Liberation by Bess Wohl. It was a heartening moment for the underdog presentation that first grabbed attention for showcasing an all-naked female cast. “It has been almost 40 years since an American woman playwright won this award,” Wohl, who based the play on the 1970s feminist movement, shared. “To all the girls out there, may you speak your truth and may the world be wise enough to listen.” Wohl shared the win with the producing team, led by Daryl Roth and Rachel Sussman. The play follows a woman in the 2020s who tries to make sense of her mother's life in the 1970s, when the latter was a feminist. The acclaimed play has already won a Pulitzer Prize. 

Death of a Salesman, starring Laurie Metcalf, Nathan Lane, and Christopher Abbott, won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. The legendary play taking home the prize wasn't a shock, but the absence of a certain someone did make what was otherwise a delightful event slightly awkward. Producer Scott Rudin won the award; however, he did not go on stage to receive it. For the unversed, Rudin previously stepped away from the industry in 2021 following widespread allegations of workplace bullying and abusive behavior. He recently returned to Broadway producing but has opted to stay away from in-person ceremonies amid the divided public response to his comeback. Lane accepted the award and, in his acceptance speech, did not mention Rudin at all.

Ali Louis Bourzgui took home the Tony in the category Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his part as David in The Lost Boys. Though many may hold different opinions about his win, not many will have qualms about his fantastic speech. “The billionaires will never find happiness from their money, the colonizers will never find fulfillment from the land, the lives they steal, the fascists will never find meaning from their conformity, not in this lifetime or eternity.” He also praised the marginalized communities for their contribution, who currently find themselves vulnerable. “This is dedicated to the beautiful tapestry of immigrant families that make this country really special. May you one day not have to audition for the empathy that should be freely given by this country that benefits from your beauty,” he said. The actor also thanked the cast and crew, alongside honoring the LGBTQIA+ community. After all that, he still managed to bring the conversation back to the vampires, whom he played to get the award. "If there's one thing we can learn from vampires, it's that life is short, but that's its gift," he said.

Alden Ehrenreich’s win for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in the revival of Gina Gionfriddo’s Becky Shaw came as little surprise. What did catch many off guard, however, was his outfit choice, most notably, a noticeably askew bow tie. On what was arguably the biggest night of his career, it’s hard to imagine the fashion faux pas went unnoticed. Was it an intentional style statement or simply an oversight? His fashion choice may not have garnered applause; his speech did. "This art of acting has given me so much," shared Ehrenreich. "It has given me a life. It has given me opportunity to be around artists like the people in this room. Most of all, it has shown me that when I am very afraid, and things are very hard, there is, in this present moment, right here, right now, a sustaining mystery that is there to catch you, and I am grateful for that, and the magic that it is allowed to happen in my life."

Oh, Mary! creator Cole Escola and current Oh, Mary! star Maya Rudolph brought on the laughs when they came together to present the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play. “Tonight’s nominees know the power of words and the courage it takes to say them, in exchange for money," Rudolph began with some light-hearted fun aimed at the hopefuls. Escola then takes over by saying, “A play that asks the question: Can women really have it all?” as a clear reference to Oedipus. The banter between the two Marys definitely made the audience long for a show with both of them. 

Fans were aghast when Broadway legend Lynn Ahrens was played off the stage after winning the Best Revival of a Musical statuette for Ragtime. Time constraints forced the organizers to get the legend off the stage, but the lyricist was given the centre stage in the press room to say her piece. “What I was going to say in brief was that first of all Terrence McNally (author of Ragtime) in particular always wanted this show to be at Lincoln Center,” she shared with the press, as per Billboard. “It fits it so beautifully. And the times we’re in fit this show so beautifully. We set out basically to make a great American musical all about the beauty of America and the contradictions of America.”